sciencepunk | June 4, 2009
On June 6, a group of deluded and dangerous people will meet to discuss how their brand of magic can heal the sick in developing countries. The Homeopathy for Developing Countries Conference in
Amersfoort, Netherlands will bring together quacks and misguided "healers" to immerse themselves in solipsistic self-congratulation whilst promoting a mysticism that could spell death for hundreds of the world's poorest people, if not more. They say:
Some homeopaths have even decided to permanently live in Africa or another region where medical help is scarce. These people do wonderful work because…
sciencepunk | June 3, 2009
Apathy Sketchpad has an excellent article musing on the problems of delivering a truly random sequence. Not only is this very hard, humans are also exceptionally bad at recognising a truly random sequence when they see one:
Unfortunately, it's very difficult to tell if your numbers are random enough or not. For example, some episodes of the dreary logical fallacy roadshow that is Deal Or No Deal used an Excel spreadsheet to randomise the assignment of 22 sums of money to 22 boxes -- for which there are probably more sequences than there are grains of sand in the world -- and the seeding was…
sciencepunk | June 1, 2009Holford Watch, the esteemed health blog praised by the Guardian, Telegraph, Private Eye and House of Commons amongst others, have released a long and detailed examination of the Green Party's health policies, from concerns over mercury fillings to dependence on the NHS:
A number of aspects of the manifesto are strikingly flawed, to the point of being offensive. Many people rely on the NHS - and for a serious party to come up with a health policy this bad is frankly insulting.The manifesto insists (HE103) that
Health services can create dependence on the part of users, which is itself…
sciencepunk | June 1, 2009A friend of mine on the burlesque circuit spotted this fantastic hot lady / science mashup: setting pretty girls on fire!
No trickery here - the Fuel Girls (NSFW) are a troupe of pyro-minxes who perform a "kick-ass, ultra sexy, fire breathing rock and roll, dance and stunt show". They were filmed as part of Discovery's Time Warp TV show.
My friend wants to know what this magical harmless fire gel is, and where she can get some! Any suggestions?
sciencepunk | June 1, 2009The Guardian Science blog were kind enough to allow Martin of LayScience.net and myself to write up an article on science and the European elections:
On Thursday, millions of us will go to the polls to decide how Britain is represented in the European Parliament, but few will have the faintest idea where the candidates stand on issues that affect the food we eat, the air we breathe, the energy in our homes and the chemicals in our environment.Science is at the heart of our modern world, and it deserves to be at the heart of political discussion too.
Link
sciencepunk | June 1, 2009Science blogger and researcher Gimpy has been unravelling the thought process behind the Green's proposal to ban the import / export of all genetically modified organisms:
For those readers unfamiliar with modern biological research, much work involves the use of cells, bacteria or higher organisms whose DNA has been modified to remove, add or mutate genes. Researchers regularly exchange these genetically modified organisms between labs, across borders and continents, as science is essentially a collaborative activity. Preventing the use and exchange of these organisms would effectively end…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009Reader romunov has made an excellent observation about support of science in their native Slovenia:
If you look at the budget for 2009 of Slovenia (only in Slovenian) you will notice that there is little (ok, no) mention of scholarships for natural sciences by responsible Ministries. There are, however, predicted 50.732,00 ⬠for scholarships for study of law by the Faculty of law. I fail to see how we need to encourage study of law, given that this faculty receives a lion's share of new souls each year.
How do you think the UK compares against this? How do scholarships available for the…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009
The European Elections are taking place this week, when millions of people will go to the polls to decide how they are represented in Europe. The European Parliament is a stage on which countless battles are played out, influencing aspects of our economy, law, judiciary, technology, environment, trade, culture, immigration, research, education, and many more. However, in the lead up to the elections, European politics have been eclipsed by the furore over our own MPs' expenses. Those who with an appetite for political debate over Europe have been forced to subsist on the amuse-bouches of…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009This entry is part of the Science and the European Election series, a collaboration between SciencePunk and the Lay Scientist blog to encourage public discussion of the science policies of the major parties standing at the forthcoming European elections.
In 2007, The REACH act came into force, addressing the potential harm to humans and the environment of all chemicals imported to and manufactured in the EU. Critics point out that this will require a significant increase in animal testing. How will you balance these concerns with the need to assess the safety of chemicals in our food and…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009This entry is part of the Science and the European Election series, a collaboration between SciencePunk and the Lay Scientist blog to encourage public discussion of the science policies of the major parties standing at the forthcoming European elections.
It has been said that there are serious incompatibilities between member states on regulations governing stem cell research. How will you work to resolve these differences?
Tim Worstall, UKIP:
We wouldn't work to resolve such differences. The balancing of moral issues involved in something like embryonic stem cell research is properly a…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009This entry is part of the Science and the European Election series, a collaboration between SciencePunk and the Lay Scientist blog to encourage public discussion of the science policies of the major parties standing at the forthcoming European elections.
Although the EU distributes billions in research funding, the results are often locked in pay-for-access journals. How will you improve open access to publicly-funded research findings?
Tim Worstall, UKIP:
A typical result of the EU's misguided thinking. Public subsidies for research are justified on the basis that science itself is a public…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009This entry is part of the Science and the European Election series, a collaboration between SciencePunk and the Lay Scientist blog to encourage public discussion of the science policies of the major parties standing at the forthcoming European elections.
Currently the EU imports over half of its energy. Recent disputes between Russia and it neighbours have highlighted Europe's precarious dependency on these imports. What are your proposals for increasing energy security?
Tim Worstall, UKIP:
Supply security of any product or input is achieved by widening the network of suppliers. We achieve…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009This entry is part of the Science and the European Election series, a collaboration between SciencePunk and the Lay Scientist blog to encourage public discussion of the science policies of the major parties standing at the forthcoming European elections.
Recently a ship chartered by the British offices of a Dutch petroleum company illegally dumped tonnes of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast. The European Commission has proposed the creation of criminal sentences for "ecological crimes" - do you support this action?
Tim Worstall, UKIP:
Absolutely not. We've been told endlessly that the European…
sciencepunk | May 31, 2009Nick Cohen has a great article in the Observer discussing the British Chiropractic Association's legal action against science writer and producer Simon Singh:
Reputable medical authorities could test the evidence and decide whether the treatments work or not. Instead of arguing before the court of informed opinion, however, the BCA went to the libel courts and secured a ruling from Mr Justice Eady that made Singh's desire to test chiropractors' claims next to impossible. Because Singh used the word "bogus", the judge said he had to prove that chiropractors knew they were worthless but "…
sciencepunk | May 28, 2009
USA Today reports the curious case of a Singapore man who was detained for several hours by airport security when they couldn't find his fingerprints. The man, who was taking capecitabine as part of chemotherapy treatment, suffered from hand-foot syndrome, a side effect of the drug where skin peels off. His oncologist describes the unusual case today in an online letter to the Annals of Oncology.
The problem is not as rare as you might think. Around one in 50 people in the world lack identifiable fingerprints; an official from the Department of Homeland Security reported "We have standard…
sciencepunk | May 26, 2009I quite like this guide to fakery by kickass lo-fi science site Hunkins Experiments.
sciencepunk | May 24, 2009Ken grows crystals. Specifically, he grows free-standing crystals made of bismuth, a metal resembling lead. It has some very interesting properties - it crystallises at right angles, and tends to form shell-like "hoppers", and natural oxidation gives the crystals a very beautiful iridescence. The end result is something that looks like a tiny futuristic city of gleaming metal skyscrapers.
The good news is, Ken sells his crystals online, and of you can't afford to buy one, you can win one by correctly guessing its weight. Ken says:
Ever drink Pepto-Bismol? Well if you have, then you've…
sciencepunk | May 18, 2009The Sun and Mail are reporting the discovery of a mystery beast washed ashore in North Devon, speculating that it could be the fabled Beast of Exmoor. By most accounts, the Beast of Exmoor is a big cat such as a puma that escaped or was released onto the remote moors in the 1970s and has lived there ever since, preying on livestock. No real evidence has ever been found, save blurry photographs and unconfirmed sightings. The Sun reported this new development:
The Sun rubbishes claims that this might be a seal, pointing out: "The Marine Conservation Society and the National Seal Sanctuary…
sciencepunk | May 16, 2009As the last Zombie Identification Card was so popular, here's another. As you can see, my art is improving. All criticisms / suggestions welcome. The next will probably be Ampulex, simply because it's a strong visual, but I'd also like to makes some cards referencing other forms of zombification - i.e. Robert G. Heath's attempts to control psychiatric disorders using electrodes implanted into the brain.
Sacculina spp is a parasite of crabs.
sciencepunk | May 15, 2009Over at the Mental Indigestion blog, Dr Jim teaches us an important lesson in appropriate games to play with greater apes whilst down the pub. Namely, do not challenge a chimp to an arm wrestling match:
As you take up the strain, know that the fine-tuned positioning and slow, steady building of muscle force you exert is due to the greater amount of grey matter that you posses in your spinal cord; motor neuron nerves cells that connect to muscle fibres and regulate muscle movement. The huge surplus of motor neurons you possess allows you to engage smaller portions of your muscles at any given…